Abstract
The concepts of customer loyalty and sustainability have an uncomfortable relationship because they start with opposing premises. Customer loyalty is focused on market orientation and market demand. Its objective is to retain customers and increase sales. Sustainability is more concerned with the use of market resources. Its objective is to reduce wasteful consumption and to draw consumers towards more environmentally friendly goods and services. Given the opposing starting points for these two concepts, tensions between these two ideals are likely to arise. This paper reviews the basic tenets of marketing and presents six dilemmas in customer loyalty and sustainability decisions. The dilemma perspective emphasizes the need to understand contradictions and opposing values before mapping out possible roads to reconciliation. Analyzing dilemmas encourages a better understanding of paradoxes faced by consumers and companies alike. This paper provokes thought on what it means to be sustainable in a customer-oriented market and outlines possible solutions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Handbook of Research on Customer Loyalty |
| Subtitle of host publication | Research Handbooks in Business and Management series |
| Editors | Debbie I. Keeling, Ko de Ruyter, David Cox |
| Publisher | Edward Elgar |
| Chapter | 20 |
| Pages | 258-273 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781800371637 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781800371620 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 19 Jul 2022 |
Keywords
- sustainability
- customer loyalty
- dilemma
- Consumers
- SDG 12
